THE PROBLEM OF BOGUS DRUGS BECOMING A SERIOUS HEALTH THREAT AS CANADIAN AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATE FIVE DEATHS LINKED TO FAKE DRUGS DISPENSED BY PHARMACY IN HAMILTON, ONTARIO

As previously reported, the FDA and federal law enforcement authorities are becoming increasingly concerned with the sale of counterfeit drugs over the Internet and at pharmacies in Mexican border towns.

Although the operators of several Internet (and mail-order) operations have been arrested recently and charged with illegal drug sales through online pharmacies, the authorities have been frustrated by the fact that new websites are up and running almost immediately.

The Mexican problem is also becoming quite serious since counterfeit versions of drugs like Lipitor, Viagra, and Evista, which can be quite dangerous, are readily available in border towns like Juarez, Los Algodones, Nogales, and Tijuana. The FDA has been working with Mexican authorities to address this problem throughout Mexico and, as a result, 19 pharmacies have been suspended and over 105 tons of medicines have been confiscated.Counterfeiting is known to be taking place in China and Russia.

Now, five heart patients in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada may have died after taking fake medication dispensed from the same pharmacy. The drug in question, Norvasc, is used to treat unstable angina and high blood pressure. An investigation prompted by a local woman who was suspicious of an oddly colored pill in her supply of Norvasc. The pill turned out to be made of talcum powder.